Talung66

1 minute ago, Talung66 said:

Re your own situation > It might be useful for you to also consider applying for a Non Imm O (and subsequent extension) or Non Imm O-A Visa, instead of visiting Thailand on Tourist Visa.

If you stay less than 180 days a year in Thailand, Tourist Visa are probably your easiest option.  But if you want to stay longer a Non Imm O or O-A Visa i indicted.

Note: Are you married to a thai national or have thai dependant children?  If so you have way more options to stay long-term in Thailand.

Yes cheers ATM i am staying under 180 days in LOS next visit will be same 

ATM this is research for me till i buy property.

1 hour ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi,

 

Re the situation of your mate > Since the permission to stay of his Non Imm O-A Visa only expires in March 2021, he has nothing to worry about. 

But I would recommend he contacts me PM somewhere February, so that I can provide him then the latest version of the Guideline I compiled to apply for a Non Imm O Visa including all options/details to do so.  The document also contains related info of relevance, like applying for the Non Imm O-A in your home-country, the LMG Insurance option and applying for the 1-year ME Non Imm O retirement Visa at the Savannakhet consulate.

Note: Are you sure that it is his permission to stay that will expire end of March?  That implies he was one of the lucky ones that re-entered Thailand in March 2020 thus securing a 2nd full year permission to stay.

 

Re your own situation > It might be useful for you to also consider applying for a Non Imm O (and subsequent extension) or Non Imm O-A Visa, instead of visiting Thailand on Tourist Visa.

If you stay less than 180 days a year in Thailand, Tourist Visa are probably your easiest option.  But if you want to stay longer a Non Imm O or O-A Visa i indicted.

Note: Are you married to a thai national or have thai dependant children?  If so you have way more options to stay long-term in Thailand.

 

i just reread his email dont know how he is ok till may 2021. might have got his 2 year extended in thailand. dont think he left the country this year

I have permission to stay until 2 may 21. it's almost 2 years. Back to 30 day TV if i leave and return b4 then. 

1 hour ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi Talung66.

 

1 - If you are in Thailand now and the permission to stay of your Non Imm O-A Visa is due to expire, there are 2 options:

a) Apply for the 1-year extension based on your Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of MARRIAGE (to a thai national) or for reason of having a dependant thai child.  In that case there is no need for the thai IO-approved health-insurance requirement, which is only applicable when applying for the 1-year extension for reason of RETIREMENT.

b) Exit Thailand and then either apply for a 90-day Non Imm O retirement Visa at a thai Embassy/Consulate abroad (easy application process) or return Visa Exempt and apply for that 90-day Non Imm O retirement Visa at your local IO, and then in the last month of those 90 days appy at that same local IO for the 1-year extension of stay based on that Non Imm O Visa.

Note: Since the Non Imm O-A is a different type Visa than the Non Imm O, thai Immigration rules do not allow to switch Visa type when applying for an extension, hence the required 'border run' in order to 'kill' the permission to stay based on your Non Imm O-A Visa, and allowing you then to start afresh and apply for the Non Imm O Visa.

 

However, in your case, not married and with borders closed at the moment, both options are not available.  So, you have only 1 option left and that is to bite 'the thai IO-approved health-insurance bullet', which will allow you to apply for the 1-year extension of stay of your Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement.

Since all those thai IO-approved health-insurance policies are basically worthless, you could as well subscribe to the dead-cheapest one, that being the LMG Insurance Plan 1 policy (with 200K deductible), for an annual premium between 6.000 and 11.400 THB in the age-categories of 51 till 75.

>> I have PM-ed you some practical information on where/how to apply for that LMG Insurance policy, including tips/caveats when doing so.

In order to access your PM messages just click the letter-icon next to your Profile when logged-in to the Forum.

 

2 - If you are in your home-country, applying at the Thai Embassy/Consulate for the 1-year MultipleEntry Non Imm O-A (long-stay) Visa, could still be a worthwhile option.

It's a matter of balancing whether the two years IO-hassle free stay that MultipleEntry Visa can provide you (but now requires health insurance that meets the thai IO criteria, when applying) is more beneficial for you than opting for the alternatives.

One thing is sure > If you ALREADY have foreign or thai health-insurance that meets the IO requirements, there can be no doubt that applying for the Non Imm O-A would be your best option.  The only problem you will face is that you would need to convince your foreign/international insurer to sign the Foreign Insurance Certificate required by the thai Embassy, which states that your foreign policy meets the thai IO requirements (400K in-patient and 40K out-patient coverage).  These are ridiculously low amounts, and any foreign/international insurance will be a multiple of that required coverage.  However, the FIC document refers to thai legislation and your insurer will be reluctant to sign such a document unless you have a good personal relation with your insurance agent and can explain him the background of your request.

Alternatively you can subscribe to that very same LMG Insurance policy I mentioned higher.  The cost of the annual premium of that basically worthless policy is low, but it can provide you with the benefits of a Non Imm O-A Visa for almost 2 years (no need to park funds in a thai bank-account or having to apply for a Non Imm Visa or extension at your local IO with all the associated hoops you have to go through).

 

Personally I am tempted to re-apply for the Non Imm O-A Visa when I am once again in my home-country, as I consider the 2-year IO-hassle free period it provides and the MultipleEntry during the 1-year Visa validity, a huge benefit.

Note: I compiled a comprehensive Guideline document outlining all options/details on how to apply for a Non Imm O Visa, in case you want to dodge the mandatory insurance requirement.

Feel free to PM me for a copy if you are interested in this.

Thanks heaps 

As for me i am still in Australia and advice is taken for future returns .i been doing METV till the price rises and now just do SETV and extend and visa run for as long as needed..

As for my mate i'll pass on all info he is there now with his O-A 2nd year expiring in march. 

12 hours ago, moontang said:

The insurance might be less than the agent fees... I heard 30k or so to get set up without insurance or bank.. but I have never used an agent in 7 years of OA. 

upwards of 30k is  start price https://longstay.tgia.org/ may be less if you find your own

Yes not for a O-A easily myself  done for me in Australia but now I need insurance.

I dont think were one the same page.??

So  you go to another( manybe home ) country and get a new  A-O every 2 years your self.

if so then your next one will need insurance on your next one.

Or do you do this

 https://www.thaiembassy.com/retire/retire.php.

12 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

I would not touch a non O-A. However it has some advantages for few folk.

The best guy to advise you on this is @Peter Denis

Look like your right always thought it was the way to go.

Get your 2 years out of it then extend.

Seems this it not the case.

12 hours ago, Maestro said:

The immigration office gave the correct information. 

 

It is only after entry into Thailand visa-exempt or with a tourist visa that a non-immigrant visa category O (non-O visa) can be applied for at an immigration office. 

so your saying the O-A has  2 years of value and that is it 

no point in getting it for a retiring  in the first place.

back to square one 

So just do this for me arriving on a visa exempt or SETV.

 https://www.thaiembassy.com/retire/retire.php.

@Peter Denis

Do you have anything to add.

As what is the way to continue living in thailand.

Having a bank account and no spouse. 

just do it myself this way arriving on visa exempt or SETV then link.

 https://www.thaiembassy.com/retire/retire.php.

Can anyone help answer my questions.

1) A mate has an O-A visa that he got in oz  before the compulsory insurance. The expiry date has passed. As his last entry was in march he now has a year from that date nearly getting the  2 years out of it as it is designed to do.

?? what is the next procedure to extend this visa.

I know he will need a Thai bank account with 800k.

I refrain for other comment i'll just confuse everyone.

But this is what he sent me 

2) I was  planning on doing the same in the future but as i now know i will need to get compulsory insurance.( as i dont want to )

Am i better of arriving on a SETV. I  have a thai bank account with 800k already.

So just  get an agent to get my first visa a non O then just keep on renewing that visa  and adding single or multiple entry to it if needed. like most farangs did.

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